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The Starting Item Conundrum: A Poll

It is commonly known that the most popular choice of starting items in League of Legends is currently Boots of Speed and three Health Potions. This offers the mobility to: trade in lane, survive a gank, counterjungle, gank, and synergizes especially well with specific abilities and champions (ex. Hecarim’s passive, Udyr in general). It also offers the sustain to: trade in lane, stay in lane after a gank, jungle, counter jungle, and prevent death in certain cases (ex. healing through a ticking Ignite). Any number of health potions can be replaced with Mana potions to achieve similar results.

No other starting options currently match the combination of these factors. Because this is generally considered to be a problem, due to lack of choice, this poll seeks to obtain the community view on the most effective way(s) to reintroduce choice in starting items.

Poll Guidelines

This poll is divided into two sections:

SECTION 1 (Options 1-19):
- This section serves to find which set of numbers are most agreeable to the community within each conceptual change.
- You may vote for any number of options in this section. Obviously try not to vote for conflicting options. For example, do not vote for both option #1 and option #2.

SECTION 2 (Options 20-31)
- This section serves to find which conceptual change the community finds most agreeable without the hard numbers involved.
- Please carefully read each line and then vote for only one option in this section.

Why these poll options?
The result of each poll option is explained below.

1) No potions can be purchased, similarly to buying a Doran’s item.
2) One potion can be purchased with 0 gold left over.
3) One potion can be purchased with 20 gold left over and the viable option of waiting for 15 passive gold generation to purchase another potion.
4) Two potions can be purchased with 0 gold left over.
5) Two potions can be purchased with 20 gold left over and the viable option of waiting for 15 passive gold generation to purchase another potion. Alternatively, one ward can be purchased with the viable option of waiting for 20 passive gold generation to purchase a single potion.
6) Three potions can be purchased with 0 gold left over. Alternatively, one ward can be purchased with the viable option of waiting for 5 passive gold generation to purchase a single potion.
7) One potion can be purchased with any Doran’s item.
8) Two potions can be purchased with any Doran’s item. Alternatively, one ward can be purchased with any Doran’s item.
9) Potion sustain may simply be too cost efficient in the early game.
10) See #9
11) See #9
12) Potion sustain may be too powerful but the cost of potions should not change.
13) The starting gold might no longer be enough with the various changes that have occurred in League of Legends since that number was set.
14) See #13
15) See #13
16) See #13
17) The best solution may be to purchase a new item that balances sustain, power, and defense in some way. It could even be combination of new lower tiered items with very cheap costs.
18) Boots of Speed may simply be too powerful to fix.
19) Boots of Speed may simply be too powerful to fix, but some form of compensation must be made for their removal.

Notes

NOTE: I did not include any options to purchase a Doran’s item and wait for an additional potion in the “Why these poll options?” section because without the movement speed from Boots of Speed your return to lane will take a very long time and likely not be worth the missed CS.

NOTE: I realize any of these changes could adversely affect many other less common starting item builds (especially for supports with the generic support build of Faerie Charm, wards, and potions). Regardless, please answer the poll as written to the best of your ability, thanks.

NOTE: I realize this poll is somewhat awkward and apologize, but I still hope that it can serve its purpose.

EDIT 1: Sad day. It seems the numbers were cut off. For reference, "Increase the gold cost of Boots of Speed ONLY" is option number 20.

Well, if it wasn't for boots, level 2 ganks would be too strong, especially on top lane. Champs with no natural escape would be pretty much garanteed to die. Basically it would lead to passive play.
As for pots, they're necessary because if not ranged champs would win a lane from the start against melee champs. Level 1 to 3 are really in favor of ranged so by the time the melee champion hits 3 he wouldn't have enough health to hope to win a fight vs the ranged if he tries to get cs. So more passive play.
Pretty much any change you do will buff some champs and nerf others. Say you make health pots cost more, that's a buff to heavy harass characters, which means they may have to rebalance those champions.
If you do away with boots + boots 2 completely then champs and items need to be completely rebalanced around champs having acces to 6 item slots rather than 5 + boots.
I supose with something crazy like a free ward for everyone at the start of the game you could see more different start items.
Overall I just don't really see a problem with boots 3pots, I think you just have to accept that having some mobility and some sustain is important in LoL. You'll end up getting boots at some point so why not at the start, and you'll be chugging pots during laning phase. If you don't have boots you'll very probably die to a gank, if you don't have pots you'll have to go buy sooner.

I start DRing every time I go mid. The last time I started Boots + 3 pots mid was..... never.

Occasionally I'll start with a DBlade on a Ranged AD bot, but it depends on who my Support is and who my opponents are. If I'm Ezreal or MF and laning with a Soraka or Alistar, I'm taking the DBlade for the combination of stats it provides. Laning with anyone else, or against a heavy stun lane, I'll go with Boots + pots.

Also, might I just say that your massive number of poll options did crit for well over 9000.